About Timocles
Born 400 BC. Timocles was a Greek comedy writer, poet and writer.
Timocles (Ancient Greek: Τιμοκλῆς, ) was one of the last Athenian comics poets of the Middle Comedy, although Pollux listed him among the writers of New Comedy. Allusions in his surviving fragments to the dispute over Halonnesus between Macedon and Athens (342 BC) and the office of gynaeconomi ("women's overseers", introduced after 317 BC by Demetrius of Phalerum) put his dates of activity in the second half of the fourth century BC.
Timocles is known to have won first prize at the Lenaea once, between 330 and 320 BC. The Suda claims that there were two comic poets of this name, but modern scholars equate the two. Unlike most Middle Comedy plays, his works featured a good deal of personal ridicule of public figures, especially orators like Demosthenes and Hyperides.
42 fragments of Timocles works survive. The titles of at least 26, and possibly 28, are known.
Egyptians The Bath-House Georgos (uncertain: may be the title of a play, The Farmer, or the name of a character) The Ring Delos, or the Man from Delos Public Satyrs Woman Celebrating the Dionysia Dionysus Little Dragon Letters Rejoicing at Another's Misfortune Heroes Icarians, or Satyrs Men from Caunos The Centaur, or Dexamenus Conisalus Forgetfulness Men From Marathon Neaira Orestautocleides The Busybody The Man from Pontus Porphyra (also attributed to Xenarchus; Augustus Meineke and Theodor Kock, who both edited the surviving fragments of middle comedy, ascribed a play by this name only to Xenarchus) The Boxer Sappho Co-Workers Philodicastes The False-Robbers
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Important facts
Frequently asked questions
Who was Timocles?
Athenian poet, of the Middle Comedy
When was Timocles born?
Timocles was born in 400 BC in Athens.
What was Timocles's occupation?
Timocles was a comedy writer, poet and writer.
What nationality was Timocles?
Timocles was Greek.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Timocles. https://biography.guide/timocles/
MLA: "Timocles." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/timocles/.
Chicago: "Timocles." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/timocles/.
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